Children's University of Economics

The Children’s University of Economics (EUD) is a program of economic education for students in fifth and sixth grade of primary school (children aged from 11 to 13 years old).

The aim of our initiative is to foster economic attitudes and behaviors among the youngest pupils, as well as to popularize economic education and to encourage children to take closer interest in economic issues. Maximum number of participants was set at 150 in each semester. Class participation is free.

Our University operates under the semester system. One semester is a cycle of six meetings. The topics of classes focuses on the issues in the range of management, economics, marketing, economic history, psychology of business and ethics. Meetings have interactive character – each meeting consists of a lecture and a workshop. During practical classes lecturers introduce children, in simple and intelligible language, to basic issues in the range of economic sciences and management. Each lecture is related to workshop classes, during which students, in smaller groups, deal with tasks prepared by the instructor. Students are offered help by group moderators – the students of economics and psychology majors. Practical classes of the Children’s University of Economics are most of all fun. Their participants play, try to acts as businessmen, stock investors, managers or marketing specialists. During the last classes in a semester, all willing students write a test covering the material addressed in the classes. The student who achieves the highest score is awarded a valuable material prize.

Each EUD student is in the possession of a student’s registration book. Every time participation in the meeting is proved by a signature in the registration book. The participation in minimum 4 out of 6 meetings is indispensable for getting a credit in the semester and a certificate. Students who had participated all the meetings receive certificate with honors.

There are also classes devoted to upbringing and shaping attitudes for students’ parents and caretakers.

Three first semesters were organized in Warsaw with over 150 participants each (April 2008 - June 2009). Since September 2009, the project has been organized in 4 cities: Warsaw, Katowice, Bialystok and Belchatow. Since 2010 we have gained a new local partners in Poznan (2010), Kielce (2011), Rzeszów, Lublin (2012) and Szczecin (2014). At present, the project is organized in 7 cities: Warsaw, Katowice, Białystok, Poznań, Rzeszów, Wrocław and Szczecin.

The inquiries, carried out in the end of each semester among the participant of the program, indicate positive evaluation of classes and their effectiveness.